The Guggenheim Museum is instantly recognizable in this photo—but instead of being surrounded by a Manhattan skyline, it sits in a barren landscape, teetering on the edge of cliff. The photo is part of a series called "Apocalypse in Art."

Advertisement

"The spirit of apocalypses holds sway over modern culture and is slowly infecting everything around us," say Ukrainian artists Vitaliy and Elena Vasilieva. "How will this virus affect art? Will there still be a place for an art in society?"

They illustrate these concerns with stunning images of famous art museums, such as the Guggenheim (top) and the New Museum (above), reimagined as the lone, surviving edifices of an extinct civilization. Vitaliy and Elena worry that the popularity of apocalyptic themes reflects a growing pessimism in society that will dampen our desire to innovate. "People cannot postpone the crash, they've lost an ability to create—all they can really do is seek and fix."